Marisa DeCollibus Professor Fogleman 11 September, 2013
Follow Up
I am not afraid of people, infact I love people because I know they all carry lessons I can learn from. Connecting with others is a cornerstone of what makes me happy and so I have found myself often exercising communication skills. Creating a web of contacts I can turn to in various situations has given me opportunities I otherwise would not have had. For these reasons I would consider my greatest talent something I call the “follow up”.
My idea of “follow up” is simply e-mailing so that I can stay in touch with mentors of varying fields: teachers, sailing coaches, neighbors, distant cousins, community leaders, all sorts of people I wanted to have in my go-to circle of communication. It is a strategy inspired by my mantra of being pro-active. I was born a people person and decided I would use it to my advantage. I have quickly learned that to be successful in following up, I have to know what the person can help me with as well as why I want to keep in touch with them. Writing a letter just to write is not what opens doors.
One letter I wrote allowed me to sail on a Farr 40 this summer, of which there are only three of its design. The e-mail I sent to Ken Luczynski, a professional sailor who was involved in a keelboat youth initiative I had been a part of, has flooded me with opportunities to get out on the water. First off, sailing with him in the youth program was incredible because I left having learned a ton and hungry for more. In this I had my “what the person could help me with” as well as the “why to stay in touch”. I saw in Ken not only a chance to delve farther into understanding the complicated sport of sailing, but also, someone who could introduce me to other people in the sailing world. This summer sailing on ToothFace with Ken, not only did I meet the owner of the boat Mark Dreese (co-founder of Newbury Comics), but I met three sailors who were able to get me on other boats. Towards the end of the distance race we were on, Ken told me that if I had not sent him that e-mail, or sent a preemptive thank you to Mark Dreese, I would not be racing.
I have found these moments of incredible blessing do not happen on accident. Every budding moment of sheer luck I've had can be traced back to a “follow up” seed I planted months before. For my senior project this past year, I had been in communication with a teacher at my school I knew also interested in yoga. I never had this teacher in class, and only found out through another teacher that she had been interested in how to use yoga in a classroom setting. I sent her an e-mail sharing my excitement for mindfulness in the classroom and asking if she knew of any sources I could use for my project. A while later, I would say almost enough time to have forgotten I even sent the letter, on my desk in biology was a handwritten note from her reading Contact ResilientKids, I already spoke to Vanessa and she’s expecting your call! ~Mrs.D. Little did I know then that this would be the birth of my senior project as well as a program I would end up training and eventually working for.
For every follow up letter I do not write, I lose the opportunity for insight and discovery. In following my love for people I have developed a skill that, when done with purpose, offers countless bounties. I can tell you now, the jobs I’ll have, places I’ll go, and even the people I’ll date will be connected to a moment of outreach I took the time to create. The secret to a plentiful follow up, is not the person or context in which it is made, but the intention that supports it. I approach forming connections with thankfulness and sincerity which is exactly what I am given in return.
Marisa DeCollibus
Professor Fogleman
11 September, 2013
Follow Up
I am not afraid of people, infact I love people because I know they all carry lessons I can learn from. Connecting with others is a cornerstone of what makes me happy and so I have found myself often exercising communication skills. Creating a web of contacts I can turn to in various situations has given me opportunities I otherwise would not have had. For these reasons I would consider my greatest talent something I call the “follow up”.
My idea of “follow up” is simply e-mailing so that I can stay in touch with mentors of varying fields: teachers, sailing coaches, neighbors, distant cousins, community leaders, all sorts of people I wanted to have in my go-to circle of communication. It is a strategy inspired by my mantra of being pro-active. I was born a people person and decided I would use it to my advantage. I have quickly learned that to be successful in following up, I have to know what the person can help me with as well as why I want to keep in touch with them. Writing a letter just to write is not what opens doors.
One letter I wrote allowed me to sail on a Farr 40 this summer, of which there are only three of its design. The e-mail I sent to Ken Luczynski, a professional sailor who was involved in a keelboat youth initiative I had been a part of, has flooded me with opportunities to get out on the water. First off, sailing with him in the youth program was incredible because I left having learned a ton and hungry for more. In this I had my “what the person could help me with” as well as the “why to stay in touch”. I saw in Ken not only a chance to delve farther into understanding the complicated sport of sailing, but also, someone who could introduce me to other people in the sailing world. This summer sailing on ToothFace with Ken, not only did I meet the owner of the boat Mark Dreese (co-founder of Newbury Comics), but I met three sailors who were able to get me on other boats. Towards the end of the distance race we were on, Ken told me that if I had not sent him that e-mail, or sent a preemptive thank you to Mark Dreese, I would not be racing.
I have found these moments of incredible blessing do not happen on accident. Every budding moment of sheer luck I've had can be traced back to a “follow up” seed I planted months before. For my senior project this past year, I had been in communication with a teacher at my school I knew also interested in yoga. I never had this teacher in class, and only found out through another teacher that she had been interested in how to use yoga in a classroom setting. I sent her an e-mail sharing my excitement for mindfulness in the classroom and asking if she knew of any sources I could use for my project. A while later, I would say almost enough time to have forgotten I even sent the letter, on my desk in biology was a handwritten note from her reading Contact ResilientKids, I already spoke to Vanessa and she’s expecting your call! ~Mrs.D. Little did I know then that this would be the birth of my senior project as well as a program I would end up training and eventually working for.
For every follow up letter I do not write, I lose the opportunity for insight and discovery. In following my love for people I have developed a skill that, when done with purpose, offers countless bounties. I can tell you now, the jobs I’ll have, places I’ll go, and even the people I’ll date will be connected to a moment of outreach I took the time to create. The secret to a plentiful follow up, is not the person or context in which it is made, but the intention that supports it. I approach forming connections with thankfulness and sincerity which is exactly what I am given in return.